Doughnut ring in Halkidiki

Archimedes: August 2011

Greek undercover police have smashed a violent doughnut ring in a popular Halkidiki holiday beach resort. Police moved in on the Halkidiki beach resort of Paliouri, on the Kassandra peninsula, following complaints that beach doughnut sellers were being threatened by a three-man gang.

It was claimed that the gang was trying to corner the market in beach doughnuts on Paliouri beach, Halkidiki, by warning off potential competitors.

A policeman went undercover, posing as a doughnut seller on the beach which is popular with UK holidaymakers and came under attack from two Bulgarians and a former Greek wrestling champion.

All three were arrested and charged with blackmail and fraud. The trio was also charged with food safety violations after police found doughnuts stashed in an abandoned hotel in an area used as a toilet.

Paliouri is the southernmost resort on the Halkidiki peninula of Kassandra and has a small sand and stone beach backed by pine trees. The shallow seas make it a popular beach with families.

The Paliouri area is noted for its honey and olive oil and it's very good walking country too with many tracks and roads through those nearby forests.